Cardholder for picture frame

ABSTRACT

In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, a picture frame may include a holder disposed on the rear side of the frame so as to define a cavity to receive a card. The holder may have a second viewing window that is operable to display the card from the rear side of the frame. The holder may be substantially concealed from the perspective of a viewer exposed to the first viewing window in the front side of the frame.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationserial number 29/173,406, filed on Dec. 26, 2002.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Photographs, artwork, and other memorabilia are often displayedin frames for decorative or protective purposes. These frames, such as aconventional picture frame, are generally configured be mounted on awall or to stand on a flat surface so that the object displayed in theframe is easily viewable. While the object displayed in the frame may beviewable, the details identifying that object (e.g., name, date,location, author or artist, etc.) may be unknown or no longer memorableto the viewer. For example, a significant passage of time may cause aviewer to no longer recall the exact location or date on which aphotograph was created. Alternatively, photographs of family members maybe passed down to subsequent generations, and a viewer may not know theexact identity of the person shown in an older photograph or the date onwhich the older photograph was created.

[0003] A conventional method for identifying an object in a frame is totranscribe a handwritten note on the reverse side of the displayedobject. For instance, a person may record a note on the backside of aphotograph that describes the name of the person in the photograph, thedate that the photograph was created, and the location shown in thephotograph. A problem arises, however, when such a photograph (having ahandwritten note recorded on the backside) is displayed in a frame. If aviewer is no longer able to recall the details related to the framedphotograph, the frame must be opened to reveal the backside of thephotograph and the details recorded thereon.

[0004] Another known method for identifying objects in a frames requiresa label holder device, such as a metal label holder from the front sideof a conventional file cabinet drawer, that is attached to the frontside of the frame. The identifying details of the object displayed inthe front side of the frame are recorded on a simple label that is sizedto fit within the label holder. Consequently, the viewer may look at theobject displayed in the picture frame while simultaneously viewing theidentifying details of the object. In general, the appearance of thelabel holder attached to the front side of the frame is obtrusive andmay detract from the viewing pleasure of the object that is beingdisplayed. Furthermore, the appearance of a handwritten label on thefront of the display may reduce the formal or stylistic appearance ofthe displayed object. Moreover, if the label is used to communicate apersonal message from a person offering the framed object as a gift,exposing that personal message on the front side of the frame may beundesirable. For these reasons, consumers are often deterred from usinga frame with a label holder attached to the front side.

SUMMARY

[0005] In accordance with certain embodiments of the invention, a devicefor retaining a card may include a frame having a front side and rearside. The front side of the frame may have a first viewing window thatis operable to display an object from the front side of the frame. Thedevice may also include a holder attached to the rear side of the frameso as to define a cavity to receive a card. The holder may have a secondviewing window that is operable to display the card from the rear sideof the frame. The holder may be substantially concealed from theperspective of a viewer exposed to the first viewing window in the frontside of the frame.

[0006] In other embodiments, an apparatus for displaying an objectincludes a frame, a card, and a holder. The card may be reconfigurablebetween a folded and an unfolded state. The card includes an inner facethat is substantially concealed when the card is in the folded state anda front face that is viewable when the card is in the folded state. Theholder may be attached to the rear side of the frame, and the holder mayinclude a mounting portion, an offset portion, and a second viewingwindow. The mounting portion of the holder may have a substantiallyplanar rear face that is abutted against the rear side of the frame. Theoffset portion of the holder may have a rear face that is offset fromand substantially parallel to the rear face of the mounting portion. Theoffset portion and the rear side of the frame may define a cavity forretaining the card. The second viewing window may be formed in theoffset portion such that the viewing window is operable to display thecard from the rear side of the frame when the card is retained in theholder. The holder may be operable to retain the card in the foldedstate in the cavity between the offset portion and the rear side of theframe.

[0007] The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are setforth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otherfeatures, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder used accordance with oneembodiment of the invention.

[0009] FIGS. 2A-C are perspective view of the holder from FIG. 1 that isattached to a frame in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the holder from FIG. 1 and a cardthat may be inserted into the holder in accordance with anotherembodiment of the invention.

[0011] FIGS. 4A-B are perspective views of a card that may be insertedinto the holder in accordance with yet another embodiment of theinvention.

[0012] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate likeelements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013]FIG. 1 shows a holder 10, which may be made of any substantiallyrigid material, such as metal, wood, or plastic and may have asubstantially uniform thickness 12. The holder 10 includes an offsetportion 20 that is configured to retain a card (not shown in FIG. 1 anddescribed below in more detail) while a mounting portion 30 is securedto a mounting surface. The offset portion 20 is positioned with respectto the mounting potion 40 such that the front face 21 of the portion 20is offset from, but substantially parallel to, the front face 31 ofmounting portion 30. Similarly, the rear face 22 of the offset portion20 is offset from and substantially parallel to the rear face 32 of themounting portion.

[0014] The holder 10 may be attached to the mounting surface using anyfastener means, such as mechanical connectors, welding, or adhesives.The mounting portion 30 may include one or more apertures 34 forattaching the holder 10 to the mounting surface. In the embodiment shownin FIG. 1, each apertures 34 is configured to accommodate a fastenerthat secures the holder 10 to the mounting surface. Depending on thesize of the holder 10 and the size of the fasteners that are used inconjunction with the apertures 34, the mounting portion may includelanding areas 36, which the fastener heads may abut against. Moreover,the rear face 32 of the mounting portion 30 may be substantially planarto facilitated attaching the holder 10 to the mounting surface.

[0015] A viewing window 24 may be formed in the offset portion 20 of theholder 10. The viewing window 24 is formed completely through thethickness 12 of the holder 10 and may be configured to any shape thatfacilitates the viewing of a card or label retained by the holder (notshown in FIG. 1 and described below in more detail). In the embodimentshown in FIG. 1, the viewing window 24 is substantially square-shapedhaving rounded corners. The viewing window 24 may not extend to thewhole length or width of the offset portion 20, which creates aframe-like area in the offset portion 20 around the window 24. Thisframe-like area may retain the card or label in the holder 10 andprevent the card or label from escaping through the viewing window 24.

[0016] Referring to FIGS. 2A-C, the holder 10 is disposed on a rear side42 of a picture frame 40 (FIG. 2A) such that the holder 10 is notviewable from a front side 41 of the picture frame 40 (FIG. 2B). Theholder 10 is attached to the picture frame 40 using fasteners 37 thatare inserted through the apertures 35 and into the rear side 42 of theframe 40. A support device 48, such as leg stand or a wall-mount hook,may be attached to the rear side of the picture frame 40. In theembodiment shown in FIGS. 2A, the support device 48 is a leg stand thatis adapted to posture the frame at an angled position such that theframe 40 may rest on a tabletop or desktop in an upright position.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2B, an object 50, such as a photograph, piece ofartwork, or other memorabilia, may be displayed from the front side 41of the frame 40. The object 50 is viewable through a viewing window 44in the front side 41 on the frame, and a transparent material, such asglass, may be positioned in the viewing window 44 to retain the object50 in a desired position. Alternatively, the object 50 may be viewedfrom the front side 41 of the frame 40 without the need for atransparent material in the window 44. Because the holder 10 is attachedto the rear side 42 of the frame 40, the holder 10 is substantiallyconcealed from a viewer exposed to the window 44 and object 50 displayedfrom the front side 41 of the frame 40. As such, the holder 10 and acard (not shown in FIGS. 1-2) do not detract from the appearance of thefront side 41 of the frame 40 or the object 50 displayed therein.

[0018]FIG. 2C shows a magnified view of the holder 10 and portion of theframe 40 from FIG. 2A. The rear face 32 of the mounting portion 30 ofthe holder 10 abuts against a suitable mounting surface, such as asubstantially planar portion of the rear side 42 of the frame 40. Inthis embodiment, the offset portion 20 of the holder 10 does not contactthe rear side 42 of the frame 40 because the rear face 22 is offset fromand substantially parallel to the rear face 32 of the mounting portion30. Consequently, a cavity 28 is formed between rear face 22 of theoffset portion 20 and the rear side 42 of the frame 40 when the holder10 is attached to the frame 40.

[0019] Referring to FIG. 3, a card 60 or other identifying label may beinserted into the cavity 28 (FIG. 2C) between the offset portion 20 ofthe holder 10 and the rear side 42 of the frame 40. The card 60 ispreferably made of a material that is suitable to receive ink or printertoner so that a user may record markings onto the card 60. The card 60may be formed to have a thickness 62 that is slightly less than the sizeof the cavity 28 (FIG. 2C) such that the card 60 may slide snuglybetween the offset portion 20 and the rear side 42 of the frame 40. Incertain embodiments, the card 60 may be a cardstock material having apaperweight between 40-lbs and 120-lbs.

[0020] The card 60 may be formed to have a shape that is moderatelysimilar to the outer border of the rear face 22 of the offset portion20. In such embodiments, the junction between the offset portion 20 andthe mounting portion 30 may act as a guide as the card 60 is insertedinto the holder 10. When the card 60 is fully inserted into the holder10, the viewing window 24 of the holder 10 exposes a front face 61 ofthe card 60. The front face 61 may have information recorded thereon,such as a name, date, location, or artist, which may be viewed throughthe window 24 of the holder 10.

[0021] The offset portion 20 may include a guide extension 26 thatprotrudes outward and away from the viewing window 24 of the offsetportion 20. As perhaps best shown in FIG. 3, the guide extension 26 mayfacilitate the insertion of the card 60 between the offset portion 20and the rear side of the frame 40. Because the guide extension 26 isoffset from the rear side 42 of the picture frame 40 (FIG. 2C), a usermay move the card 60 along the rear side 42 of the frame 40 until thecard is properly positioned between the guide extension 26 and the frame40. At that point, the card 60 may be inserted into the holder 10 bymoving the card 60 into the cavity 28 between the offset portion 20 andthe rear side 42 of the frame. Moreover, the guide extension 26 may haveat least one edge 27 that does not match the shape of the card 60. Assuch, a portion of the fully inserted card 60, such as a corner 65, maybe accessed by the user to facilitate removal of the card 60 from theholder 10.

[0022] FIGS. 4A-B show an alternative embodiment of the card 70 that maybe inserted into the holder 10. In this embodiment, the card 70 isconfigured to be folded before insertion into the holder 10. The card 70may include a fold line 73 to facilitate adjusting the card 70 into afolded state (FIG. 4B). The card may be formed to have a thickness suchthat the card 70, when in a folded state, fits snugly between the offsetportion 20 and the rear side 42 of the frame 40 (not shown in FIGS.4A-B). In one embodiment, the card 70 is a card stock material having asingle fold line 73 and a paperweight of about 45-lbs to 60-lbs.Additionally, the card may be formed to have a shape, when in the foldedstate, that is substantially similar to the outer border of the rearface 22 of the offset portion 20.

[0023] The card 70 includes an inner face 74 where a personal or privatemessage may be recorded. For example, a user may offer the frame and theobject therein as a gift, and the user may record a private message tothe gift recipient on the inner face 74 of the card 70. Then the card 70may be adjusted to a folded state so that the inner face 74 issubstantially concealed from view. A different recording of generalidentifying information (e.g., name, date, location, or artist) may berecorded on the front face 71 of the card 70 such that the identifyinginformation is viewable through the window 24 when the folded card 70 isfully inserted into the holder 10.

[0024] In some embodiments, the holder 10 may be attached to the rearside 42 of the picture frame 40 by way of the support device 48. Forexample, the holder 10 may be fastened to a substantially planar surfaceon the leg stand 48 (FIG. 2A), which in turn, is fastened to the rearside 42 of the frame 40. As such, the holder 10 would be disposed on therear side 42 of the frame 40 such that the holder 10 is not viewablefrom a front side 41.

[0025] The holder 10 may advantageously be disposed on objects otherthat picture frames. For instance, the holder may be affixed to thereverse side of a decorative object or work of art having a reverse sidesubstantially hidden from a normal viewing angle.

[0026] A single integral holder may include multiple cavities, offsetportions and windows to permit the ready storage and removal of multiplecards. For instance, a single holder may have two laterally adjacentoffset portions to receive and display two cards juxtaposed one another.Alternately, a single offset portion may have dividing elements whichdefine multiple cavities, which may be parallel to one another and ofvarying depths or heights. In such a configuration, the window may beconfigured to display only the outermost card.

[0027] The holder 10 may be integrally formed with the frame or otherstructure to which it is affixed. For instance, in the case of a metalor plastic frame, a pocket or cavity with an optional window may beformed on the reverse side of the frame.

[0028] The information recorded on the card may be something other thanidentifying information, such as a purchase price for the artwork framedtherein or a marking unrelated to the framed object.

[0029] The extension portion may be reconfigured or omitted entirely.The guide portion may advantageously be configured to receive one ormore indicia such as brand identification or custom inscription.

[0030] The holder 10 may be any size to the extent that the holder isnot larger than the rear side of the frame to which it is mounted. Theshape the holder is not limited to the illustrated embodiments; forexample, the holder may have a decorative style to better match that ofthe frame. The overall shape of the holder in elevation view may besubstantially circular or any other desired shape.

[0031] The frame can be advantageously configured to display paintingsor other works of art, photographs, greeting cards, diplomas,certificates, and the like. In these various embodiments, the cardholdercan be sized to accommodate larger or smaller cards, depending on thenature of the text necessary to adequately describe the object in theframe.

[0032] A number of embodiments of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for displaying an object, comprising: a frame having a front side and rear side, the front side having a first viewing window operable to display an object; a card to receive indicia identifying a feature or aspect of the object; and a cardholder disposed on the rear side of the frame, the holder comprising: a mounting portion having a substantially planar rear face, wherein the rear face is abutted against the rear side of the frame, an offset portion having a rear face that is offset from and substantially parallel to the rear face of the mounting portion, wherein a cavity for retaining the card is defined by the offset portion and the frame, and a second viewing window formed in the offset portion such that the viewing window is operable to display the card from the rear side of the frame when the card is retained in the holder; wherein the holder is operable to retain the card in the folded state in the cavity between the offset portion and the rear side of the frame.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the card adjustable between a folded and an unfolded state and the card comprises an inner face operable to have a message recorded thereon, wherein the inner face is substantially concealed when the card is in the folded state, and a front face operable to have information recorded thereon, wherein the front face is viewable when the card is in the folded state.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the holder is substantially concealed from the perspective of a viewer exposed to the object and the viewing window in the front side of the frame.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the card comprises a cardstock material having a paperweight of about 45-lbs to about 60-lbs.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a guide extension that protrudes upwardly from the offset portion of the holder, wherein the guide extension is shaped an positioned to facilitate insertion of the card and is adapted to receive an inscription or other indicium on its outwardly facing surface.
 6. A device for displaying an object comprising: a picture frame having a front side and rear side, the front side having a first viewing window operable to display an object in the frame; a cardholder disposed on the rear side of the frame, said cardholder including a cavity to receive a card and an optional second viewing window operable to display the card, said cardholder being substantially hidden when the picture frame is viewed from the front side; and a card adapted to be received in said cardholder.
 7. The device of claim 6, wherein the object is a photograph, work of art or a greeting card.
 8. The device of claim 6, wherein the cardholder further comprises: a mounting portion having a substantially planar rear face, wherein the rear face is abutted against the rear side of the frame, and an offset portion having a rear face that is offset from and substantially parallel to the rear face of the mounting portion, wherein the cavity to receive the card is defined by the rear face of the offset portion and rear side of the frame.
 9. The device of claim 6, further comprising a guide extension that protrudes outwardly from the offset portion of the cardholder, wherein the guide extension is shaped and positioned to facilitate insertion and removal of the card.
 10. The device of claim 6, wherein the cardholder includes multiple cavities for displaying multiple cards.
 11. The device of claim 6, further comprising an inscription on the card identifying one or more aspects of the object in the frame.
 12. The device of claim 6, wherein the cardholder is integral with the frame.
 13. The device of claim 6, wherein the card has a multi-panel construction, adapted to fold about one or more score lines.
 14. A method of identifying an object in a frame, comprising: providing a picture frame having a front side and rear side, the front side having a first viewing window operable to display an object in the frame, said picture frame having on its rear side a cardholder including a cavity to receive a card and an optional second viewing window operable to display the card, said cardholder being substantially hidden when the picture frame is viewed from the front side; providing a card adapted to be received in said cardholder; inserting an object in the frame; transcribing on said card information identifying one or more aspects of the object; inserting said card in said cardholder; and displaying said frame such that the cardholder and card are substantially hidden from view in normal viewing conditions.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the object is a photograph, work of art or a greeting card.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the cardholder further comprises: a mounting portion having a substantially planar rear face, wherein the rear face is abutted against the rear side of the frame, and an offset portion having a rear face that is offset from and substantially parallel to the rear face of the mounting portion, wherein the cavity to receive the card is defined by the rear face of the offset portion and rear side of the frame.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the cardholder further includes a guide extension that protrudes outwardly from the offset portion of the holder, wherein the guide extension is shaped and positioned to facilitate insertion and removal of the card.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the cardholder includes multiple cavities for displaying multiple cards and wherein the method further comprises inserting multiple cards into the respective cavities.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein the cardholder is integral with the frame.
 20. The method of claim 14, wherein the card has a multi-panel construction, adapted to fold about one or more score lines, and wherein the method further comprising folding the card to conceal the message before inserting the card into the cavity. 